February 11, 2012 Meeting Summary

Agenda Items:
Preparation
Attendees
Acknowledgments
Meeting

Preparation

E-mail and phone reminders

Attendees

6 members

Acknowledgments

Susan brought warm blueberry muffins

Meeting

Agenda Items:

The meeting began about 11:24 pm

  • tree stumps, sidewalks, tree replacements
    • A neighborhood homeowner who has one of the upturned sidewalk with overturned tree stump attended the City’s second windstorm feedback meeting at Jackie Robinson Center.  He reported that at that meeting City officials said the City was going to go ahead and put removing the stumps and upturned sidewalks, and repairing those sidewalks, curbs, gutters, out to bid.  That they were not going to wait and see if a Caltrans grant is obtained.
    • This contradicts what attendees were told at the first meeting a few days prior, and the usual statements that sidewalks are the responsibility of the property owner.  Did anyone go to the third meeting, at PCC, or otherwise have more recent information?   Has anyone received the letter that was supposedly going to be sent to the affected homeowners?
    • The City’s forestry division believes they’ve fixed all the damaged street trees in our neighborhood (not including stump removal).  Of course, they just drive around, so they’ll miss lots of things.  If you see a street tree that still has broken/split limbs that need to cleaned up, report the tree to 626 744-4321 to be sure it is on their list.  You can report any street tree; it doesn’t have to be the one in front of your house.
    • We learned from the forestry division that on streets designated for Chinese Elm, the replacement trees can be a different type of elm called Sawleaf Zelkova.  It appears from descriptions that its leaves are a little more pointy and saw toothed, on average its limbs might be a little stronger, and it might grow a little bit slower, then the Chinese Elm.  It is not clear whether this type of elm is sometimes automatically used, or whether the home owner must request it.  Is anyone interested in getting more information about this?
    • Have only gotten one response indicating possible interest in changing the designated street tree for a block.  Anyone else?
  • Emergency response (PERT) training class
    • The fire department has a free class called Pasadena Emergency Response Team (PERT). “PERT teaches you disaster preparedness, first aid, fire suppression and light search and rescue.”
    • They are holding a class for our City Council District on
      March 3, from 8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m
      Church of the Nazerene
      3700 Sierra Madre Blvd.
      There is a limit of 150 participants.  Registration is necessary. Visit http://www.cityofpasadena.net/District4/PERT or call Noreen Sullivan at 626 744-4740.
    • The fire department will also schedule classes for a neighborhood or group. For more information, call (626) 744-7276.
  • Annual newsletter distribution plan
    • Our annual newsletter is currently being written.  A draft copy was brought to the meeting for attendees to review.
    • Hoping to have it available to distribute to all the houses in our neighborhood later this week.  It should be delivered by the end of the first week of March at the very latest.
  • Annual election of association officers in March
    • It’s time for our annual election at our March meeting.
    • Anybody interested in running for office?  Nominations need to be submitted by March 6 at the latest.
    • Officer positions are:
      • President – chair meetings; officially represent the association to external parties
      • Vice President – support and act in place of President or Secretary as needed
      • Secretary – publicize meetings; record and distribute meeting minutes; maintain contact list.
      • Treasurer – receive, keep safe, track, report on, and disburse Association funds.  (So far the Association has never had any funds.  Until we have a specific need for funds, we’ve been avoiding the legal hassles.)
  • Local crime summary
    • Over the past month in our neighborhood, from crimemapping.com:
      • Sat Jan 28, 4:01 am, Assault / Battery, 400 block Avocado Ave.
      • Sun Jan 29, 6:52 am, Vandalism / Misdemeanor Malicious Mischief, 3200 block Alameda St
      • Sun Jan 29, 12:45 pm, Residential Burglary, 400 Block Sierra Madre Villa Ave
      • Thurs Feb 2, 8:27 pm, Theft / Larceny, 3200 block E. Foothill Blvd
    • In the Daisy Villa neighborhood (other side of Eaton Wash), five daytime residential burglaries are shown
  • City mulch available free
    • The city is making ground up green debris (“mulch”) collected after the windstorm available free to the public.
    • “Any non-commercial Pasadena resident with a shovel and something to carry the mulch with is welcome to it.”
    • Available through February 29
      • from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
      • at Robinson Park, 1081 N. Fair Oaks Ave.
      • in the parking lot on Morton Street
  • Citizen Police Academy
    • The Pasadena Police Department’s Citizens Police Academy provides an overview of the internal workings of the Pasadena Police Department.
    • Topics include: community policing, Pasadena’s policing philosophy, police communications, criminal law and procedures, street crime enforcement, firearms training, citizen complaint process.
    • The police department “hopes there will be a greater awareness and understanding of law enforcement’s role in the community”.
    • Academy graduates will have the opportunity to volunteer with the department in various capacities.
    • Each academy session takes place over twelve weeks each spring and fall, meeting from 6 to 9 pm each Thursday evening.
    • They are getting ready to start another session in March.
    • Academy candidates must be at least 18, live, work, or own property in Pasadena, have no felony convictions ever, and no misdemeanor convictions in the past year.
    • If you are interested, call the Pasadena Police Department’s Community Services at 626 744-4551.
  • Proposed changes at Chuck E. Cheese and Target
    • The Chuck E. Cheese at Foothill and Rosemead (on the upper side, near Rite Aid) is requesting changes to its use permit.
      • City staff is recommending approval; the hearing is Feb 15.  Here is the staff’s report to the hearing officer.
      • The requested changes would allow Chuck E. Cheese to expand to the east, taking over the space where Anna’s Linens used to be, converting it for “indoor recreation”.  Their ability to sell beer and wine and operate until 11 pm on Friday and Saturday nights would also be expanded to the new area.
      • Other tidbits from the report:
        • Chuck E. Cheese has been located in the shopping center for 28 years, the last 18 in the current location.
        • Only minor exterior changes would be made, basically signage.
        • No additional parking will be required.  They submitted a “conceptual landscape plan” that would plant about 19 crape myrtle trees in the parking lot, bringing it more into conformance with current parking lot standards. Not clear if they will actually need to do it.
    • Target, at Colorado and Kinneloa, is requesting changes to its permits regarding alcohol sales.
    • City staff is recommending approval; the hearing is Feb 15.  Here is the staff’s report to the hearing officer.
    • The requested changes are:
      • sell full alcohol for off-site consumption (add spirits to currently allowed beer and wine)
      • be allowed to sell refrigerated alcoholic beverages
      • extend hours during which alcohol can be sold to: Monday – Friday: 8am to 11pm; Sunday: 8am to 10pm; and Holiday period (Thanksgiving to December 26): 6am (some days) to midnight.
  • City Council redistricting
    • The planning for modifying the City Council district lines following the 2010 Census results is wrapping up.
    • The Redistricting Task Force has another meeting to consider the latest plan
      • February 15, 2012, 6:30 pm
        City Hall Council Chambers, 100 N Garfield Ave
    • As expected, none of the currently proposed changes directly affects our neighborhood.
    • To see a map of the proposed districts, with the current districts outlined for comparison, go to http://www.cityofpasadena.net/cityclerk/redistricting/modified_tabloid_legend.pdf
  • anything else attendees wish to discuss
    • eewna.org website content
      • Suggestion was made to add list of links to “frequently used” web pages on city’s web site.
        • It can be hard to find things on the city website beyond the home page. And some useful pages don’t seem to have any access via navigation from the home page.
      • Last month we added a link to a copy of the city’s latest frequently called phone numbers.
      • Really long past time to at least upgrade our site’s home page.  For example, to better highlight anything new.

Next meeting is March 10, 2012, 11:15 am, at Hastings Branch Library

Adjourned about 12:20 pm